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“For no good reason, I’m sure.” Erik smiled at his wife. “Whatever his reasons, I guess he underestimated your powers.”
Daisy made a face at him. “I can’t believe I was so stupid. As soon as I went outside, I knew I’d made a mistake. While I was dispatching one of the zombies, the other one got inside and knocked Megan unconscious. By the time I got back in the house, the zombie had Megan slung over his shoulder and was heading for the back door.”
“I can’t believe such creatures exist,” Megan said.
“Oh, they exist all right,” Erik said. “But they’re not too bright.”
“How do you…? Never mind,” Megan decided. “I don’t want to know.” Zombies had once been human. Did they return to normal when whoever held them in thrall released them? Or did they remain mindless creatures with no will of their own?
“It’s late,” Daisy said, patting Megan’s hand. “You should get some sleep.”
Sleep? After the last few days, she didn’t think she would ever get another peaceful night’s sleep. And even as the thought crossed her mind, she was yawning.
“We’ll stay until morning, if you don’t want to be alone,” Erik offered.
The idea was appealing. But rather than seem cowardly, Megan shook her head. “I’ll be all right, but thank you, both of you.”
“You’ve got our number,” Daisy said, giving Megan a hug. “Call if you need us.”
Megan nodded. She started to rise, intending to walk Daisy and Erik to the door, but they were gone in a swirl of twinkling blue and dove gray motes before she gained her feet.
“A neat trick,” she murmured, and burst into tears.
Thursday morning dawned cold, gray, and gloomy, the perfect setting for Megan’s misery. She had cried most of the night, hadn’t slept more than an hour or two at most, which explained why she woke with a headache and eyes that felt like they were filled with sand.
It seemed strange to wake in her own bed in her own room. Strange to know she was alone in the house. The nightmare was over. Tomás Villagrande had been destroyed. Erik and Daisy had returned to Boston. And Rhys…? Where was he? Knowing it was useless, she tried to open the link between them, but it was like trying to call a number that had been disconnected. No one was there.
Rising, she stepped into her slippers and plodded downstairs to make a pot of coffee. When it was done, she sat at the table staring into her favorite Grumpy coffee cup and wishing she could just disappear. How was she supposed to go back to her old, boring life after having known Rhys? Yes, he was dangerous. Yes, being around him was risky. But as scary as it had sometimes been, being with him had made her feel vibrant and alive. And she loved him as she would never love anyone else.
She carried her coffee cup into the living room and switched on the TV. Talk about a vast wasteland. Did anyone even watch TV in the morning? There was nothing on but black-robed judges trying to look important while they ruled on mundane cases, cheerful talk show hosts who discussed even more mundane topics, ubiquitous soap operas, and mindless cartoons. Where had all the good shows gone?
She refilled her cup twice and then, deciding she couldn’t just sit around in her pj’s and mope all day, she called Mr. Parker and told him she was back in town and that she would be at work that night. Early.
It turned out to be the best decision she could have made. Mr. Parker was genuinely happy to see her again. Being back at work, talking to people who didn’t drink blood or disappear in the blink of an eye helped to ground her in the real world again.
Shore’s was having its once-a-year sale, which meant they were even busier than usual, for which Megan was grateful. She didn’t have any time to think of anything—or anyone—else.
It was after eleven when Drexel swaggered into Shore’s. Clad in a fluorescent pink shirt, black velvet vest, and skintight black pants, he was a sight to behold. His face lit up brighter than his shirt when he saw Megan.
“Babe!” he exclaimed as he wrapped her in a bear hug. “I’m so glad to see you!”
“Thanks, Drexel. I missed you, too,” she said, and meant it. “Hey, I thought you were going on tour?”
“We cut it short.”
Extricating herself from his embrace, she asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Just my head. Ever since the fire, I’ve been having trouble performing on a stage unless it’s outside. My shrink says it’ll pass, in time. He says I should take a vacation, so that’s what I’m gonna do. So, I need some new threads, something hip but subdued, you know?”
“I’m sure we can find something that will work.”
Ninety minutes and nine thousand dollars later, Drexel pulled her into another exuberant hug. “Thanks, babe. Just seeing you makes me feel better.” He smiled at her, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “So, babe, have you decided to marry me yet?”
“Drexel…”
“I know you think I’m too young and that I’m just kiddin’ around, and that I don’t really mean it, but if you say yes, I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world.”
“You’re sweet, really, but I wouldn’t be good for you or anyone else right now.”
“What happened, Megan? Some guy hurt you?”
“In a way.” Lifting a hand, Megan caressed his cheek. “If I was going to marry anyone, it would be you.”
He laughed at that. “I’ll hold you to it,” he said, and kissed her on the cheek. “See you soon.”
Megan stared after him as he left the shop. Maybe she should marry Drexel. He wouldn’t ask much of her, and it would be nice to share her life with someone so uncomplicated, someone who adored her….
Good grief, what was she thinking? Drexel was nineteen years old. Did she have some kind of perverse weakness for younger men? Rhys might be an old vampire, but physically he was still on the shy side of twenty-one.
Pain stabbed at her heart when she thought of him. Young or old, right or wrong, she missed him more than she would have thought possible. Why was it, when she had finally met the perfect man, it turned out he wasn’t really a man at all?
She blinked away her tears as a new customer stepped into the shop. Grateful for the distraction, she hurried toward him.
The first two weeks without Rhys were the hardest. She went to work early. She offered to come in on her nights off and help Mr. Parker take inventory. She decided to paint her kitchen, and spent a day looking at color swatches before choosing a pale yellow. When that was done, she threw herself into redecorating her bedroom. She painted the walls a pale, pale lavender. Painted the trim and the ceiling white. She bought a new white quilt and a lavender dust ruffle for her bed, then added several throw pillows in varying shades of lavender and purple. She bought new white curtains, and ordered new carpeting, recovered the seat cushion on the desk chair to match the dust ruffle. And when she was finished, she hated it because she couldn’t imagine Rhys being comfortable with all that lavender.
